I’ve written before about being a huge fan of Mystery of History. This year as we were finished with all three volumes and planned to do Cycle 3 of Classical Conversations, I was really disappointed that Volume IV wasn’t yet available. This volume of Mystery of History will cover American History and events around the world that coincided. I can’t even imagine writing a history curriculum, so I completely understand that it takes time. However, I needed a good American History curriculum this year.

I Took a Chance on America from the Beginning

I do American History with my first through seventh graders, so I needed something that appeals to wide age ranges. I purchased a text at my local homeschool expo, but I wasn’t thrilled. When I received an email from Answers in Genesis that they had a new American History curriculum coming out in the fall of this school year, I was intrigued. Because I couldn’t really look through it before I purchased it, I was a little nervous, but made the purchase because of my great experience with AIG curriculum in the past. I’m so glad I did.

Why America from the Beginning Might Work for You

Like everything Answers in Genesis publishes, America from the Beginning is written from a Christian, non-evolutionary perspective. I really appreciate that it’s truly a history curriculum, however, not delving into Bible or science in depth.

I wasn’t looking for history-related activities because we do a wide range of activities every Friday in our co-op. But this curriculum has them if you want them and they’re not crazy like, “Build a model life-sized log cabin.” Map activities and easy-to-do extensions of the lesson are included. What’s wonderful is that you can easily skip them as we do without missing out on what’s great about this curriculum.

I read the lessons aloud to my kids and each one takes me less than fifteen minutes. There are many colorful photos that keep the interest of my youngest. The material is organized in a story-telling fashion, much like Mystery of History. However, there are features to America from the Beginning that we love that are new to us:

A preview of what we’ll be learning in each unit. This is great for identifying subjects we’ve covered before and helps students attend to the lessons.

Comprehension questions at the end of each lesson. I absolutely love this. My kids are motivated to listen because they know I will be asking them these questions. Honestly, I have to go back to the material to get the correct answers sometimes, which further adds to our learning.

Big picture reviews of each unit. There are not only comprehension questions, but narratives that give kids perspective on what they’ve just learned.

Special Considerations

If you have a child working independently, I do think he would enjoy the reading. But he might not be as excited about writing the answers to the comprehension questions. I have the teacher’s manual, but have never used it. I tend to use teacher’s manuals very rarely, so I can’t speak to whether you would like it if you’re a manual person. It’s only $4 when you buy the curriculum kit, however.

Would you like to own the student book?

As I mentioned above, the student book is all we use and we love it. For some reason, I ended up with two of them. I most likely paid for both. (Don’t tell my husband.) The book sells for $55. I’d like to give this away to one blessed reader. I’m asking the Lord to ensure it goes to the right person. Please participate in the Rafflecopter below by letting me know why you’d like to try this curriculum and letting others know about Psychowith6. I love to encourage other homeschoolers.a Rafflecopter giveaway